Grande Goes Live With TiVo/Netflix Combo

Grande joins RCN and Atlantic Broadband among U.S. pay-TV providers that are leasing TiVo boxes integrated with the Netflix video streaming service

Grande Communications announced Wednesday that it had enabled Netflix streaming on TiVo-powered devices that it leases to customers across its Texas-area systems.

Grande Communications is one of three U.S. TiVo pay-TV partners that have integrated the Netflix streaming video service into leased TiVo boxes. The other two are Atlantic Broadband and Grande corporate cousin RCN. Two operators across the pond – Virgin Media in the U.K., Com Hem in Sweden – have also enabled Netflix on leased TiVo-powered boxes, as has Danish operator Waoo!, which offers Netflix on set-tops made by AirTies that run middleware from Nordija. Google Fiber, which currently offers broadband and pay TV services in parts of Kansas City and Provo, Utah, allows its subscribers to link their Netflix accounts to the Google Fiber TV box, according to this Google Fiber customer help page.

Update: Suddenlink said its support for Netflix on leased TiVo boxes also went live this week.

TiVo has several other U.S. partners that have not yet announced plans to support Netflix on leased devices, including GCI, Mediacom Communications, Vyve Broadband and Wave Division Holdings (Wave Broadband and Astound).

In addition to featuring Netflix at the main screen, Grande Communications has also given Netflix its own channel (399) on the guide that tunes customers directly to the Netflix home screen.

Like it is with RCN and Atlantic Broadband, Grande’s TiVo customers must have a separate Netflix subscription. Netflix maintains its billing relationship with those customers.

Grande, which serves parts of Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, San Marcos Waco, Corpus Christi, Midland and Odessa, said a TiVo box is included with its “Get-It-All" bundles, starting at $79.99 per month